Until the seas run dry
by averna
Summary: Uncas and Alice both survive the final battle, and it continues from that point onward. Really incomplete, really slow updating.
1. Chapter 1

When she realized they were getting further away from her sister and the rest of them, panic filled her loins. All her attempts to release her self from the red man's grip were fruitless, and she soon stopped resisting in order to keep herself alive. For what, she had no idea. She didn't need to speak their language to understand that she was to be Magua's wife. If they wanted her dead, she would be dead already. Glancing backwards almost out of wishful instinct, no one she knew or wanted to see, was nowhere to be seen. Before she was dragged away, she saw Cora being forcefully pulled from her restraints, and she wished Nathaniel or Duncan would have done something to save her. Alice couldn't bear the thought of losing her sister. Even if it meant she'd never see her again, she wanted to at least believe she was alive and safe.

Her thoughts came to a stop from what it seemed like more chaos ahead. Magua's men were dropping like flies by what looked like the work of none other but Uncas. Her heart stopped beating for a split second. She would have been lying to herself if she pretended not to think about the dark skinned man, hoping that he would once again come to her rescue like many times before. His movements fierce and so determined and angry that made her knees even weaker and her heart filled with worry. She was trusting in his strength, but she couldn't help but fear for his life; he was by far outnumbered, and there was nothing she could do to reach him. The grip on her arm got even harder when Uncas approached Magua, swift as a snake, throwing a reassuring glance to her direction, like all the reassuring glances and brief exchange of words between them during their journey together. But it was enough for Alice. She felt embarrassed to admit that she felt safe all along only because this particular handsome Mohawk was always watching her closely. Even now, he was there.

The girl tried to escape the man's grip once more, and when she saw blood gushing out of Uncas's stomach, panic filled her insides once again. There was a knot in her throat and she couldn't even scream. "No..," was the only thing she could whisper with every slice of Magua's tomahawk against the other man's flesh, the sound of his pain making her heart break in tiny pieces. Uncas was standing still in front of the Huron man, bloody arms weakly on his sides and his eyes searching for Alice's tear filled ones. She could not look at him any longer, or control the rush of tears that followed. Lowering her head, she squeezed her eyes shut, hoping to turn back to the waterfalls, and the way he held her closely when she had thought all was lost. Hoping to stay in that memory forever, behind the falling water with everyone alive and safe.

The sudden sound of what seemed like axe piercing someone's skull, broke the silence and made her gasp in position, her eyes slowly raising since she was too scared of what she might come to face. Uncas was still standing there, weak and wounded, but breathing nonetheless, whereas Magua was falling dead in front of him, the tomahawk stuck in his temple. His men came to a panicked halt, trying to find the source of the thrown weaponry, completely clueless as to what to do now that their leader was dead. Alice tried to escape the man's grip once again, and at this point he didn't even care about keeping her imprisoned so he simply moved away with the rest of them, disappearing before they'd bear the same fate as their Huron leader. Uncas fell on the stoned surface next to Magua and Alice rushed to his side, tears blinding her eyes and floating down her cheeks like a non stop stream. "Uncas.. Please, no.." she lifted his head on her lap and quickly torn pieces of her already destroyed dress, covering the wound on his stomach as much as she could to make the bleeding stop. She sensed someone behind her but was too preoccupied with tendering the man's skin to raise her head. Chingachgook retrieved his tomahawk from the dead man's temple and rushed close to his younger son, whispering words she could not understand. Nathaniel and Cora followed soon after. The old man made it clear that she had to move away and let him take care of his son, and Alice silently moved close to her sister, who welcomed her into a tight embrace. Nathaniel moved next to his father, taking a look at his brother's wound before he turned to look at the women, "There is a stream nearby. We're gonna need some water Cora." Uncas had fallen unconscious, his chest slowly beating up and down. The white man turned to look at the stunned girls once again, "Cora!"

Her sister looked at him with an apologetic nod and grabbed Alice's hand to quickly run towards the stream.

Once they returned, they had moved Uncas away from the sun in a less dry location. "I can stitch him up, if you allow me."  
Nathaniel turned to look at her as he got hold of the wet cloths and then at his father, speaking to him in their tongue. Chingachgook turned to look at the dark haired woman with a simple nod, and Cora instantly sat close to the younger man's body to tend to his wound. Alice was still in complete shock, but alert enough to grab one of the wet cloths and move to the other side of Uncas, carefully wiping the blood from his face. No one spoke a word until the man started becoming conscious, possibly from the pain deriving from his stomach. Both his father and brother held him still before he'd hurt himself even more, and Alice brushed her fingers tenderly against his bloody arm, a sort of affection that came naturally and didn't make her think twice about how it looked to the others. At this point, she couldn't bring herself to care. He turned to look at her, his eyes only halfway open, and he laid calmly back down, managing a soft smile when his eyes met hers. She couldn't help but return the gesture, relieved to see him awake.

Uncas turned to look at his father, his hand weakly grabbing his own, "I failed you. Forgive me father."  
Chingachgook shook his head lightly, resting a hand on his son's shoulder, "You wanted to save her. And I blame you not," he motioned towards Alice, who blushed once again since, despite the language barrier, she knew it was her they were talking about, and that only made her feel even more guilty about the man's wounds, "You risked your life to save someone you care for, son. So you have not failed me."  
Uncas turned to look at Alice but only came to face her lowered eyes and blushing cheeks, a barely audible apology deriving from her lips. The old man turned to look at her, as well as the rest of them, "No, child," was all he said, and they spoke of the matter no more.

Once Cora was done patching him up, Nathaniel held her hand to get her away, "You must rest brother. And don't get stubborn about it." Uncas had to chuckle, since he knew he would get stubborn regardless of what his brother had said. He watched them walk away, but when Alice stood up to join them, he took hold of her arm before she'd disappear, "Stay."

The young woman looked at him for as long as she could handle before she'd start flushing red again, feeling extremely stupid for her weakness, "B-But, you need to rest, like your brother suggested."  
A soft chuckle with a wince of pain escaped his throat, and he released the grip on her arm once he made sure she wouldn't run away like she always did, "I am stubborn, like he said. And I know what I need better than he does." Alice lowered her eyes once again, her palm resting close to his, fingers brushing against his dark, slender ones ever so often. She looked at him once again, "And what is it that you need.. Uncas?"

Furrowed brows followed to the sound of his name, and it was far from the first time someone had spoken it. But the way she said it, so hesitant and lady like, it sent flames down his spine, "I need you to stay close to my side. Alice."

Good Lord, she would never stop blushing like a little girl, would see? She covered her face in embarrassment, only to emit another chuckle from the man beside her, and she nodded gently as she scooted closer to his body, looking around in anxiety. She didn't want the others to see them so close, his father more than her sister. But they were nowhere to be seen, so she simply laid right next to him, her hand clutching on his arm tenderly as she looked at his harsh, handsome features. He turned to look at her in return, and there were a few moments of nothing but eye contact until the girl burst into silent tears, burying her face against his shoulder, "Alice..?"

She clenched on him even harder now, pushing her whole body against him in a way to secure him and secure herself, and despite the situation, Uncas managed to turn on his side and brush calloused fingers against her pale, flustered cheek and make her look at him. Alice frowned even harder when she realized he had moved, but he silenced her before she could say anything by pressing his lips on her forehead. And the burning sensation returned and started eating her alive.

"Why.. Why did you do that..? He could have killed you, and I would have no reason to live, Uncas.. You shouldn't have-," he cut her off by pressing a finger against her lips, dark eyes piercing her teary ones, "I would have done it again and again, until every danger disappeared from the world."

She had no response to that. He was a man of few words, she never heard him speak in more than two short sentences at a time, but every single word he uttered was as meaningful as the next. She took hold of his hand, pressing feather like kisses on his palm, trying to take away all the pain he had suffered because of her. Uncas smiled gratefully, stroking a few strands of golden hair away from her face as he held her close against him. Alice happily accepted the affection and looked up to him as she curled close to his chest, careful not to make any sudden movements close to his stomach, "You have a way with words sir. But I would rather live with the danger than the fear of losing you."

The man kept looking down at her, his eyes so dark and narrowed there was barely any white in them. Letting his fingers brush tenderly down the side of her face, he leaned forward until he heard her breathing come to a stop in her throat from the proximity, her chest rising and falling against his own with every inch he moved closer. He didn't know if this is what she wanted, but he didn't want to stop and ask her either. His fingers stopped at the crook of her neck and stroked the warm skin there once their lips met, her soft pillows parting with a much anticipated sigh of relief as she clumsily returned the kisses she was given. She clenched on his torn tunic for dear life until she realized she had ran out of breath, and found herself breaking off the kiss with a gasp. She looked around in panic when she realized where they were, which only made Uncas chuckle once more, "Alice.. I almost died trying to save you. I'm certain they already know."

She blushed, of course, but stayed close either way. He was right. There was nothing to hide, but that was no reason to be improper. "I know they do, but.. Rest," she almost demanded, and he couldn't possibly say no. He was getting too tired to debate over his situation anyway.


	2. Chapter 2

Alice felt all the exhaustion from their long journey reach the marrow of her bones the moment her body touched the stoned surface, but she couldn't bring herself to sleep. Still holding on his arm, she was half worried that she would fall asleep in that position, so inappropriately close to a man she barely knew, a man that was considered a savage in her own world, and half worried that she would wake up and realize that all this was just a dream, that Uncas had actually died under the knife of the Huron leader. That alone was enough to keep her conscious, finally finding the time to stare at his features without being seen and smirked at for her childish blushing, by the man himself.

So calm and harsh looking at the same time, the most beautifully-shaped jaw she could ever imagine, black glowing hair falling on the ground like tiny waves, his shoulders strong yet soft under her fingers, his lips, those lips that crushed upon her, the hunger deriving from them, everything about him made her heart beat faster, and the longer she would look at him, the harder it became to breathe properly. But it was impossible to take her eyes off him, since with every glance there was something new, more beautiful to discover upon his features.

She could sense someone approaching from time to time, and she would raise her eyes only to catch a glimpse of Chingachgook, standing silently by the trees and leaving when he would make sure his son was still breathing life. She could feel herself changing, the longer she was staying with the strange men. She was once na?ve, innocent and carefree, almost ignorant to what the world really had in store for her. She felt herself growing up suddenly, from one day to another, wondering if it was possible for her to go back to who she once was. The loss of her father, the absence of Duncan that she didn't have the courage to ask about, almost losing Uncas, it was all too much for her to handle. But in the end, she did handle it. She'd break down and cry, and feel defeated and alone, but she was still alive. He was still alive. Nothing was yet lost.

The old man's visits became more often, and even though he never made his presence obvious, Alice could sense he was around. He was silent as any hunter going after his prey, but after all that time spent in the wilderness, Alice had learned the basics about being alert of her surroundings. She only wished she were as strong as Cora, and not scoot away from Uncas in such embarrassment every time his father was around, as if to avoid showing something that everyone was already aware of. It was a taboo, of course, it was completely unacceptable for a girl of her status to be so close to an Indian. But she was not in London anymore, was she? Those rules and everyday sources of gossiping did not apply in the wildlife. So why did she care that much?

"Stop thinking that hard. Nothing is yet lost."

She gasped in surprise when she heard that soft voice again and lifted her head only to be welcomed with yet another sincere smile, "How did you know..," she was of course referring to the fact that he spoke what she was thinking about, but waved it off soon after since there were more important things to worry about. Uncas was already trying to stand up only to be gently pushed down by her hand, "I know you can not wait to get back on your feet, but I'm afraid I shall not allow you to move just yet," her voice was firm, and she managed to look at him, speak to him without the burden of her usually blushing cheeks, even though he kept smiling at her, staring at her as if he was trying to devour her with nothing else but his eyes. She cleared her throat, trying to avoid the impact he had on her mental and physical health, and stood up with a swift movement, "I... will get your father. And some water, and.. You stay still! .. Please," and with that, she turned her back and disappeared, not even giving him time to give a proper response to her little outburst.

Being as stubborn as he was, he attempted standing up slightly once again since he found it impossible to be laying still like a sickly child or a dying old man, and he managed to scoot backwards against a set of rocks without tearing himself in half. The stinging pain coming from the wound in his stomach did not bother him as much as his sudden thirst, and he kept his eyes to the empty space that previously covered Alice's presence. He got rid of his tunic to take a better look at Magua's masterpiece across his stomach, but kept the bandages in place, guessing that they were Cora's handiwork.  
He had no time left to think about what he had set his mind on, since Alice and all the rest of them made an appearance, the young woman giving him a worried look once she realized he had ignored her request to lay still. She made a movement to walk to his side but stopped and looked at the others in pure embarrassment, standing still by her sister's side, to the man's disappointment.

"Are you trying to bleed yourself to death, brother?" despite the choice of words, Nathaniel looked rather unsurprised to find him sitting like that. Cora was already moving to his side in order to look at his stitches, something that made Alice's stomach twist in pain. She wished she would stop holding back from showing how worried she was, and how much she wanted to take care of him. It was all her fault anyway. She would catch him throwing glances her way from time to time, but she refused to make the contact last. Instead, she stood still, clueless as to what to find use in, since the father and Nathaniel were too busy chatting in their own tongue, the movements of their hands indicating that their conversation had to do with carrying Uncas until he found his strength back. Staying in that place was far from safe.

"Alice?"

It took her a while to realize Cora was standing in front of her, looking for her attention, but she was drowning in her own thoughts. Finally, she turned to look at her sister, meeting puzzled eyes in return, "Could you make sure he eats some of this bread? He has lost a fair amount of blood, and I need to get more water."

The younger woman looked at her sister's hands and took hold of the piece of bread she was given, nodding quietly as she moved back to the Indian's side. Now she had a good excuse to attempt closure, mentally scolding herself for wanting to be close to him. Uncas gave her persistent glances, but she was too preoccupied with cutting the bread in half to notice. She didn't have the slightest idea how to act. Should she feed him? Was he strong enough to feed himself? He looked strong enough to hunt down and kill a dozen Huron men, but she couldn't tell how he actually felt. Lifting her head, she moved her hand slowly towards his mouth, hesitant and scared she might insult him by implying that he was anywhere near weak. He parted his lips the moment the bread reached his mouth, still looking at the girl intensely to emit some sort of reaction, a word. When that seemed impossible, he reached over and grasped her wrist to make her look at him, only to make her jump slightly, her head instinctively turning to look for the others. She still needed everyone's permission to do what she wanted to do, and that made her feel like a little girl all over again. Nothing had really changed after all.

Uncas noticed, pressing soft, slender fingers against her cheek to distract her from their surroundings, "Alice." Big brown eyes stared at him, and she quickly, yet as gently and lovingly as possibly, pushed his hand away with a shake of her head, "Please don't", came a whisper and she gave him another look before her sister reappeared next to her, "Alice.. If necessary, force feed him."

She wondered whether everyone around them was too ignorant to see what was right in front of their eyes, or if it was Alice the one being too paranoid and ashamed of her own feelings. If her sister was allowed to love and cherish a man different from the English gentlemen that so often surrounded her, why wasn't Alice allowed to do the same? The only difference between Nathaniel and Uncas was the color of their skins. She soon realized that it was herself that created the boundaries, herself that made it look like the most vile thing to feel so deeply for another human being, herself and no one else. She gave her sister a small smile and then turned to look at Uncas, who began eating on his own, "Look at him, Cora. He is a warrior. He doesn't need me."

_Oh but I do, Alice._


	3. Chapter 3

"As you can see, I can walk just fine, brother. It was my stomach that was ripped open, not my legs."

It came as a surprise to hear Uncas speak in that manner. He was obviously against the idea of being carried around like a weak old man, despite Nathaniel's efforts to persuade him into agreeing. Alice was sitting next to her sister, both of them observing the heated conversation between the two. It had come to her attention that the father would often look to her direction, but with a kind of expression she couldn't come to decipher just yet. If there was something she was certain of, was the fact that Chingachgook had almost lost his son because of her, and it wouldn't be surprising if he felt ill towards the girl.

She averted her eyes from the older Indian and caught a glimpse of Uncas's dark orbs looking for her own. Clearing her throat, she decided to speak her mind on the matter, "If my sister agrees, and if it's alright with all of you, I would like to make a suggestion," it came like a whisper, since she was not used to being the center of attention, and having all eyes on her at the moment was something she had been trying to avoid ever since she was a little girl. Cora soon laid an encouraging hand on her back, and the girl went on, "They can't possibly know that this man is dead," she began, motioning towards the rock that Magua's body used to lay on, feeling ill when all the memories came rushing back, but she managed to keep going, "Which means that no one is chasing us this time. Yet." It was embarrassing how many short breaks she needed to take between sentences, either to catch her breath or compose herself from the way Uncas was looking at her while she was speaking. She took a deep breath and continued with utmost determination, "What I am trying to say is that me and Cora could stay back with Uncas while you, Nathaniel, and your father, make sure these woods are safe."

Everyone was still looking at her, remaining silent for what seemed like eternity, until Nathaniel shared a look with Cora and his father. She had to include her sister in that idea to avoid confusion as to why she would suggest staying alone with Uncas while the rest were gone. But then, he decided to speak as if he knew exactly what she was thinking, "Take Cora with you. I'm sure nothing will happen, but if it does, I won't be able to protect them both."

The dark haired woman then grabbed Alice's arm gently, yet almost possessively, "I'm not leaving Alice behind."

Nathaniel moved towards her, and as if magically, a single touch of his fingers against her cheek and a whisper made Cora relax to the idea, "She'll be safer with Uncas, I promise you."

She turned to look at her younger sister with worried eyes, "Are you certain, Alice?"

Her concern was definitely endearing, but Alice was hoping that she would stop treating her like a child. Especially after everything they'd been through, she would have expected a different approach from her older sister. She said nothing but smiled instead, placing her hand above her sister's with as much confidence as she had left, "Yes, sister. I will be fine."

* * *

It was a few hours later, right before sunset that they decided it was the safest time to leave. After embracing Alice for several minutes, Cora parted from her sister and followed the two men who had already disappeared in the forest. She could already feel the difference in the atmosphere, how it became colder now that they were no longer together, how everything had changed. She stood still for a while, looking at the empty space that was occupied from her sister seconds ago, until his hand on her shoulder brought her back. So warm and soft against her skin, she was taken aback and turned to look at him directly, "W-What are you doing?" Truth be told, he wasn't doing anything but look at her. What she really meant to ask was why wouldn't he hold her close and kiss her again. They were alone, there was nothing to be ashamed of now, but Uncas was just standing still, his eyes never leaving her, and his fingers barely touching her arm. She couldn't resist looking back, and she began to wonder whether she did something wrong, or if something looked peculiar in her face. "Uncas? You should be laying down," she managed to avert her eyes from his persistent look and turned around to hide her once again blushing cheeks.

The young Indian smiled softly to himself and leaned closer from the back to push a few golden strands away from her neck, watching as her chest was rising up and down with every bit of attention he was giving her. Without saying anything, he passed a necklace around her, pressing his lips closer to her ear, "This is for you."

Alice was certain that if he continued being that close to her for much longer, she'd be the one collapsing on the ground. She managed to keep control of her mind but her eyes were closed until she heard what he said and felt something around her neck. She looked at the necklace and instantly recognized it; he would always wear it around him, she couldn't be wrong. Turning her head slowly, she looked at him, her fingers securely wrapped around what she was given, "Why?"

She realized her question probably sounded silly and looked away directly, about to apologize. But he had a response ready, and it was more than enough to make her want to keep the necklace forever. "I want to think of you with it," and then he left her alone, standing still and looking towards the woods her sister had just disappeared into.

Uncas decided to not push his luck and lay still for a while, regardless of how useless he felt. He would see the girl walking around restlessly from time to time, but he decided to just look and not talk; the necklace was still decorating her skin, and it was like every worry, all the physical pain Magua had caused, disappeared in just a second of looking at her. He wondered what his father would have to say to this. _His_ son thinking about being with a white woman. Such conversations never really occurred, despite people's questions about why Uncas hadn't settled down yet. They were mostly trying to tease the young Indian, but he knew from the way his father's face would light up that it was important to him, more than he wanted to admit.

_I failed you. Forgive me father._

Chingachgook had failed to understand the meaning behind what his son said. Uncas knew, from the moment he laid eyes on the white girl, that it was her he wanted to share his life with. It was her he wished to protect, it was her he was willing to give his life for, from now till the end of time. And he would fail in keeping his father's name alive. If his father knew how sorry he was, he might forgive him for his weak feelings.

"It is time to change your bandages.. Uncas?" Alice tilted her head, looking for his eyes and the young man instantly returned the look to give her his full attention. It took him a few seconds to realize what she said, and he nodded gently, "I feel a lot better. I know I can walk," he rested a palm close to the wound around his abdomen, but Alice instinctively slapped the hand away, "...Forgive me. But you might hurt yourself worse."

Uncas chuckled softly and laid back down to allow the young woman remove his bandages, feeling bad for her when he felt her trembling hands close to his skin. "Alice."

It wasn't a question, it only served the purpose of speaking her name, which caught her attention directly, "Yes?" She didn't require an answer but instead looked at her trembling hands, fingers brushing against his skin ever so often. She couldn't even pretend anymore. Her eyes would fall from his own down to the ground, and a heavy sigh followed when she realized that she wouldn't be able to change those bandages any time soon. Placing the water next to his body, she stood back up with an apologetic expression, but didn't walk away. Uncas simply looked up at her for the longest, and when it was clear that she wouldn't be leaving, he got up as well, standing the closest he'd ever been to her. Alice refused to look at him, but instead stood still, breathing heavily from the closure and the fact that their height difference allowed her to be inches away from his beautifully formed chest. She raised a hand, in a manner so painfully slow that Uncas thought it would last forever, and brushed the back of her palm against the Indian's tattooed skin. He kept looking down at her even though she wouldn't, his arms dying to be wrapped around her but he kept still and let her discover him to her desire.

Her fingers crawled their way slowly down his stomach and back up, circling around his nipples and the area of his beating chest, and it was then that Alice looked up at him with those gorgeous yet sad looking eyes, her lips parted and screaming to be kissed despite the girl's stubborn silence. She was moving her head towards him, as if attempting to eat away his breath, and Uncas knew right there and then, that there was no going back. His arms, as if detached from the rest of his body, grabbed her waist in an attempt to bring her closer, if that was even possible, and his lips seized her own between them without a warning. There was a gentle kind of force in his kiss, the way he grabbed her and pulled her closer to his naked skin, there was a hunger that under normal circumstances and in another man she would find unacceptable and disgusting, but coming from Uncas, that silent, handsome Indian she had come to cherish, she wouldn't mind if he kept doing it until they would both run out of breath. She wrapped her trembling arms around his neck and pushed herself up as much as she could to taste his lips before it would all come to an end, a soft pant, some sort of complaint, leaving her throat when he pulled away.

"Don't.." she kept her face close, her fingers lightly stroking his face like a blind woman would, like she couldn't get enough of his features, her lips brushing against his own in an attempt to feel him again, but the man took hold of one of her hands and after pressing a feather light kiss on the back of her wrist, he walked away, ignorant to the aching pleasure he had left lingering all over her body.

* * *

(Note: I wonder if I should change this to **M**ature.. Oh boy.)


	4. Chapter 4

**(Note: Changed to mature for sexual content and violence.)**

* * *

His hands were burning against her skin, the way he was pushed up against her back, his beating chest brushing against her bare arms, his slow, steady breathing torturing her neck, his whispering, his soft touches, she thought she was dead because she never expected life to treat her in such a sweet way. Her eyes were closed, she knew it must have been a dream that gave her such pleasure, and she refused to open her lids in fear of losing everything that moment had to offer. Her whole body was trembling with pleasure, her face was flushed in embarrassment since she could hear her own helpless moaning. And then he called her name, over and over again, small breaks in between to make her long for his voice, and she knew for sure that she wouldn't be able to stay in that dream for much longer.

"Alice.."

Her eyes opened as soon as she felt that soft touch against her arm, much more innocent than those seconds ago. It took her a long time to realize she had returned to reality, and the way Uncas was looking at her just now meant she had been quite vocal in her sleep. Crimson embarrassment covered her cheeks as she tried to slide away from his touch, but she knew she wouldn't last long without it, "Are they back?"

Uncas shook his head and never took his eyes off of her, his hand now grasping her arm tightly to catch her attention. He was bare chested again, those beautiful raven black locks of hair falling against his chocolate skin, the small rivulets of water indicating that he had visited the stream while she was asleep. The young woman found herself distracted from the water dripping down a vein in his arm, almost conjoined with it, until she felt the grasp around her arm getting tighter, "Forgive me," he smiled and that didn't help her regain her composure, but she finally managed to escape his grasp and stand up, her eyes wandering down his bandaged stomach. She looked at him as if asking for his permission and this time her hands were steady enough to tend to his wound, but Uncas touched her hand softly to stop her, "I've seen to it when you were asleep. No need to worry yourself."

The young woman looked at him, a small frown covering her face as she was denied the pleasure of touching his skin. _God Alice, shame on you. _"In that case, I would like to go wash my clothes now that the sun is up."

The Indian didn't seem eager to stop looking at her, even though she was trying to avoid his intense staring, and gave her his tomahawk, closing her fingers around it, "I will be close, but just in case."

Alice looked at the heavy weaponry in her hand and then back at him. He was holding his shirt as well, and she tilted her head in confusion since he seemed embarrassed, but he just gave it to her in silence and turned to leave.

She smiled softly as she held the shirt close to her, looking at the man's back as he walked away, and soon enough, she did the same.

Keeping the tomahawk close to her side, it only took her a few paces until she reached the stream. There were no sounds around to be heard, and in a way that scared her even more, but she knew that Uncas would be nearby. The thought made her uneasy. He was far from a stranger, especially after all the intimate moments they had shared together, but she was still as shy as a 10 year old girl when it came to exposed skin. Even his own.

The young woman looked around for one last time and removed her shoes, using her hair as a cover as she let her dress slip from her shoulders. She couldn't remember the last time she was completely naked of any clothes, and she had forgotten how wonderful it felt. She kept her undergarment and stockings on to wash her dress, keeping the tomahawk close to her, as well as Uncas's shirt. She didn't waste more time and got in the water as soon as her body was completely free of all her clothing. Feeling the water stroking her skin like that put a huge smile on her face, and for a moment she had forgotten where she was and what she was surrounded by. She dipped her hair in the water as well, stroking the locks with her slender fingers until reality got the best of her and she realized it was dangerous to be that exposed in that strange area.

She wore the man's shirt as she waited for her own clothes to dry, sitting on a rock with the tomahawk still in her hands. She was far off to another one of her memories, and the sudden feeling of a hand gripping her shoulder made her jump off the rock and turn to look at the source of this contact, a gasp leaving her throat when she came to face two French soldiers, whose eyes were glued on her bare legs. The girl kept the axe tightly behind her back, taking as many steps away from them as possible to keep a safe distance, but they walked forward, speaking in broken English when they realized she couldn't understand their French mumbling. "Sleeping with the savages," was everything she could decipher, and she assumed it was her clothing that caused such a comment. There was nothing she could say that would save her from this situation. Her lack of French, their lack of English, her appearance and the way they looked at her, gave her no other option. She began running as fast as her legs allowed her to, trying to rid her mind off all kinds of unsettling thoughts in case they grabbed her. But she wasn't fast enough. When she felt a pair of hands grasping her shirt, Uncas's shirt, she cried out his name, and when she fell on her stomach with one of the soldiers falling on top of her with a laugh, she knew her strength and wish to survive, were about to be tested.

He had been fighting with his own worry for the past hour, but at the same time he didn't want to embarrass the girl by arriving to her side when she wasn't fully dressed. He could sense something was going on, everything around him was different, there was a chill in the air that wasn't there before, like a warning that something bad was about to happen. He didn't give it much more thought. He grabbed his carving knife, as well as his shotgun, and followed the path to Alice's location.

Alice was grasping on the soil around her in an attempt to crawl away from the man's grip, tears blocking her sight from finding the tomahawk she was sure was dropped inches away from her body. There was so much anger inside her, disappointment in herself and how she had allowed this to happen. She was angry at her own body for abandoning her like that, she was angry at her lack of physical and emotional strength. There wasn't a way to hear everything the soldier was saying on top of her, words of English and French combined, but she didn't need to understand what he was saying to know where this was going. He was taking his sweet time humiliating her, his fellow soldier holding a shotgun pointed close to her face, and when she felt the man's hands moving to places she had no desire to expose to him, she let out the loudest scream she could manage, which was welcomed with a hand covering her mouth and angry words entering her ear.

Everything came to a stop when footsteps broke the silence around them. The man holding the shotgun turned around immediately, but he was chasing nothing but shadows, his clumsy shooting giving Uncas the chance to slit his throat from behind with a swift movement, grabbing the tomahawk from the ground just as fast only to bury it in the other man's skull with a force he didn't think his current state allowed him to possess. The soldier fell on the ground next to Alice, who was trembling so violently he wasn't sure she had realized what had happened. He kneeled down close to her and touched her shoulder carefully, and when she raised her eyes and saw him, pale hands reaching for his shoulders to grab on, he wrapped his arms around her small frame in a manner that would, under normal circumstances, bruise her soft skin. She glued herself against him and buried her face in the crook of his neck, and even though he couldn't hear her cry, her tears were soaking his skin, and her trembling body confessed her current state.

He couldn't know how long he was holding her like that, and if it wasn't for the pace of her heart, he would have thought she had fallen asleep or even unconscious. He pulled back enough to look at her face, and she pressed her cheek against his chest, doe like eyes looking into his own, her arm wrapped around his side in a way that indicated he wasn't allowed to let go off her just yet. And he had no intention to attempt breaking the contact any time soon.

Alice squeezed his frame harder as she felt chilly air hitting her back, eyes still looking at his face as he leaned back against a tree, his eyes lifted to the sky. She could feel his beating heart against her ear and that gave her more peace than she could possibly ask for. "I don't want to go back just yet," was the only thing she managed to whisper before she closed her eyes, feeling his breath hitting her face as he leaned close to kiss her forehead, his words echoing in her head as she surrendered to her own exhaustion.

* * *

He opened his eyes the moment he heard footsteps approaching. His fingers squeezed around the tomahawk in his belt, eyes focused on the direction those footsteps were coming from. Alice was still in his arms, curled like a child against his chest, so peaceful looking that he hated having to wake her up. But the footsteps approaching were those of the enemy, friendly to those dead bodies around them. The young Indian pressed his lips against the girl's ear, his free hand clasping her arm tightly, "We have to go. Now."

Alice's eyes opened to the sound of that, and without giving it much thought, she pulled away from his warm embrace and let him lead her out of the woods. Only when she looked back and saw at least five more French soldiers headed their way, did she realize that she would have to run faster than her strength previously allowed her. She held onto his hand tightly, thinking about Cora and the others, what would happen if they returned and didn't find them where they had left them, thinking about what would happen if they weren't fast enough. Shaking her head violently to remove those thoughts from her mind, she squeezed the man's hand when they passed the stream, whispering his name gently when she spotted her clothes. She left his grip and with a swift movement, grabbed everything she had left on that rock before Uncas grabbed her arm and whispered something in his tongue, looking behind them when he heard the French shouting to their direction.

She didn't know how long they had been running for. She couldn't feel her legs, her soles were probably bleeding, but she never gave up or stopped again. Her throat was aching from the exhaustion but her grip to his hand was tight, and that kept her going.

"Uncas.."

It was softer than a whisper, but he realized she was warning him about more people ahead of them. Looking around, their only option being going deeper into the forest, he squeezed her hand to make sure she wouldn't slip from his grip, and ran impossibly fast towards the depth of the forest. She didn't know how she kept up, for the way he was moving was not human and for a moment she thought her feet were lifted from the ground. Her body stop aching, she could breathe much better, everything felt like what heaven should be like, and the force with which Uncas stopped her, ached her more than any wound she had ever suffered. It wasn't the woods they were running into. This was it, the end of it all. A cliff higher than any other, she turned to look at Uncas who was free of any expression, but when he looked at her in return, she could see the worry in his eyes. They couldn't go back, they had to move forward. "Let's do it," she was the one to suggest, and the man narrowed his eyes and shook his head, his hand glued on her own and refusing to let go, "That's suicide."

Alice gave him a soft smile and looked down at her hand. She dropped everything she was holding except for the necklace he had given her. Passing it around her neck, she turned to look at him again and brought their conjoined hands against her cheek, remaining silent as their eyes met.

Uncas held the back of her neck as he started kissing her whole face, and without another word, he pulled back to look at her until the voices from behind became more clear, leaving them no other option but to jump. And so they did. Fingers entangled, souls conjoined, they both fell into the water.

* * *

**(Note #2: This would be a nice conclusion, but I don't feel like ending it just yet. We shall see..)**


End file.
